Lan Yan didn't know if it was useful, but she stroked Jun Yelan's head again and again, repeating the same sentence.
Perhaps it was this action that caused Jun Yelan's fingers to slowly loosen. He then covered his mouth, holding the coughed-up blood in his palm. He wiped away the residual blood from the corner of his lips, his eyes darkening. He had fallen ill again.
The frequency of his illnesses had been increasing lately.
Lan Yan clutched her neck and coughed violently. Fortunately, her method had worked, otherwise, she would have failed in her third world right upon arrival.
She looked at Jun Yelan, who was lost in thought, and finally understood what the system meant. This Jun Yelan was indeed different from usual. She asked, "Are you alright now?"
Jun Yelan raised his head, his gaze falling directly onto Lan Yan's eyes, which still held no fear. His gaze shifted downwards, seeing the marks on Lan Yan's neck, then looking at his own hands.
She was the first person to survive his grasp.
Why was this happening?
Jun Yelan's confusion intensified. He said to Lan Yan, "From today onwards, you will be my personal maid." He wanted to see what the reason was.
Upon hearing this news, Lan Yan's eyes lit up. Becoming a personal maid would give her more opportunities to approach Jun Yelan. She smiled and said, "Thank you, City Lord."
Jun Yelan looked at her smile. Was this matter so joyful? Being by his side was not a good thing.
Lan Yan did not notice Jun Yelan's change. Seeing that he was fine, she tidied up the broken plates on the ground and left.
She walked towards the rear hall with a smile, even saying to the system, "See? Even if you're not great, I still am."
The system did not respond.
The rear hall was divided into a tea-making room, a kitchen, and, at the very side, the maids' quarters.
It was already night, and no maids could be seen in the corridors; they had all retired to their rooms. Lan Yan entered the room and saw that the other maids were already in bed. She walked towards her own sleeping space.
Behind her, several maids opened their eyes and cast resentful glances at Lan Yan's retreating back. Today was Lan Yan's first day serving tea, and she had already become the City Lord's personal maid, a promotion that had stirred their discontent.
Moreover, this opportunity was originally meant for one of the maids, a girl named Qiuju. Qiuju had suddenly felt unwell and handed the tea to Lan Yan, and now Lan Yan was in a better position than her!
However, she had her own ways to deal with this newcomer, and she looked smugly towards her bed.
Lan Yan was tired from a day of work, and dealing with Jun Yelan required mental effort. After a simple wash, she climbed into her bed and immediately felt that it was damp.
She frowned, picked up the candle holder from the table, and discovered a large wet patch in the middle of her bedding. It hadn't rained today, so it could only have been done intentionally by someone.
Her gaze swept around and landed on a maid behind her who was smiling. Lan Yan recognized this maid; the original owner of this body had drugged this maid's drink to get an opportunity to meet the City Lord.
Qiuju, being looked at by Lan Yan, was not afraid. "Someone did something bad, and now they're facing retribution."
Several maids chuckled, while Lvqi, standing closest, had a cold expression.
Lan Yan found it amusing; they were bullying her. She went straight out the door, brought back a large basin of water, and poured it onto Qiuju's bed. "This is what retribution looks like."
Qiuju was now soaked, let alone her quilt. She glared furiously, "Lan Yan, are you crazy! You're new here, how dare you treat me like this? I won't let you go!"
She hadn't unleashed her true abilities yet.
Lan Yan, too lazy to engage, hugged her clean quilt and walked out of the room. As she left, she said, "Coincidentally, I'm just like that. I repay grudges."
Qiuju was left helpless against Lan Yan, as she had already left. She looked down at her damp bed, unable to sleep.
Meanwhile, Lan Yan, hugging her quilt, tiptoed into the main hall. She surveyed the surroundings, seeing no one else. She spread out the quilt in a corner.
Then, she used her clothes as a pillow, lay down on the quilt, and slept comfortably.
After she fell asleep, her breathing sounds drifted into the hall. Inside, Jun Yelan's eyes darkened. He got up from his bed and walked towards the source of the sound, seeing Lan Yan curled up in the corner.
He stood beside her, staring intently at her face. Why was she sleeping here? And he had been watching for so long, yet Lan Yan showed no signs of waking up.
A gust of wind blew in from outside the window, and Lan Yan shivered, hugging her arms tightly.
Jun Yelan glanced at her but did not move, waiting for Lan Yan to wake up from the cold.
As it turned out, Lan Yan simply wrapped herself in the quilt, curling up inside it, and stopped shivering. Throughout this process, her eyes remained tightly shut, unaware that someone was watching her.
Jun Yelan felt a hint of helplessness for the first time. He walked to the window and closed the pane. After doing so, he looked at Lan Yan and murmured, "This is for what you did today."
Although he didn't know what Lan Yan had done, his illness today had not been as severe as before. Seeing that Lan Yan was still fast asleep, he withdrew his gaze and walked back into the hall.
The hall was devoid of any light, not even moonlight could penetrate it. He sat by the window, closed his eyes, and then suddenly opened them. He was unaccustomed to hearing other people's breathing. He clenched his fist, desperately wanting to lash out and destroy.
But the image of Lan Yan wrapping herself in the quilt flashed through his mind. He loosened his clenched fist, forcing himself to calm down. He closed his eyes again, and this time, it took a long while before he opened them.
Daylight broke, and Lan Yan, stimulated by the sunlight, quickly got up from the ground. She tidied her quilt in a hurry and hid it in a secluded spot, then proceeded to brew tea as she had the day before.
When Jun Yelan came out, he unconsciously glanced at the corner, only to find it spotlessly clean. He sat down in his chair, doing nothing.
When Lan Yan brought the tea, she saw Jun Yelan in this state. She placed the teacup down and said, "City Lord, please have some tea."
Jun Yelan took it, his peripheral vision noticing that Lan Yan's complexion was good, indicating she had slept well last night. However, he had been sleepless all night because of the breathing sounds.
He said, "Last night, this City Lord kept hearing sounds in the hall. Do you know why?"
Lan Yan's eyes darted away. Had she been sleep-talking? She wasn't sure either. She replied, "City Lord, could it be that you misheard? This servant slept very well last night and didn't hear any sounds."
"You weren't sleeping here, how would you know?"
Faced with Jun Yelan's follow-up question, Lan Yan was speechless. She looked at the teacup and smiled, "City Lord, if you don't drink it soon, the tea will get cold. This servant truly doesn't know. I misspoke just now."
"How about this? From now on, this servant will come to keep watch at night and will not let anyone disturb your rest, City Lord." This way, she could legitimately sleep here.
Jun Yelan's hand, holding the tea, paused. He had inadvertently given her a valid reason. He looked at Lan Yan's cunning eyes and slowly spoke.